The prevalence of allergic diseases such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, and food allergies appears to be increasing in recent years, particularly in developed countries, affecting an increasing percentage of the population (Kay, N Engl. J. Med. 344:30-37 (2001)). Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is an epithelial cell derived cytokine produced in response to pro-inflammatory stimuli. TSLP has been discovered to promote allergic inflammatory responses primarily through its activity on dendritic and mast cells (Soumelis et al., Nat Immun 3(7): 673-680 (2002), Allakhverdi et al., J. Exp. Med. 204(2):253-258 (2007)). Human TSLP expression has been reported to be increased in asthmatic airways correlating to disease severity (Ying et al., J. Immunol. 174: 8183-8190 (2005)). In addition, TSLP protein levels are detectable in the concentrated bronchoalveoloar lavage (BAL) fluid of asthma patients, and other patients suffering from allergic disorders. Also, increased levels of TSLP protein and mRNA are found in the lesional skin of atopic dermatitis (AD) patients. Therefore, TSLP antagonists would be useful in treating inflammatory disorders.
In addition, TSLP has also been found to promote fibrosis, as reported in U.S. application Ser. No. 11/344,379. Fibrotic disease results during the tissue repair process if the fibrosis phase continues unchecked, leading to extensive tissue remodeling and the formation of permanent scar tissue (Wynn, Nature Rev. Immunol. 4, 583 (2004)). It has been estimated that up to 45% of deaths in the United States can be attributed to fibroproliferative diseases, which can affect many tissues and organ systems (Wynn, supra, at 595 (2004)).
Currently, anti-inflammatory treatments are used to treat fibrotic disorders, since fibrosis is common to many persistent inflammatory diseases such as idopathic pulmonary fibrosis, progressive kidney disease, and liver cirrhosis. However, the mechanisms involved in regulation of fibrosis appear to be distinctive from those of inflammation, and anti-inflammatory therapies are not always effective in reducing or preventing fibrosis (Wynn, supra). Therefore, a need remains for developing treatments to reduce and prevent fibrosis.
Therefore, antagonists to TSLP would be expected to be useful for treating these inflammatory and fibrotic disorders. The present disclosure provides such treatments and methods of treating.